Page 52 of Gentle Fox

At this rate, Hendrix’s assumption of how we were spending the afternoon was pretty damn accurate.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Annalee

“Pretty sure we need to get up and eat at some point this evening.” I snickered into Owen’s bare chest. It was after seven and we had yet to leave the bed. It turned out that Owen wasn’t kidding when he said he had every intention of getting me naked after the ice cream. I just didn’t expect our time in bed to last all afternoon and well into the evening.

“I’ve already eaten my dinner.” The crack of Owen’s hand across my ass filled the room.

“Eww, gross,” Gracie gagged from the other side of the door. “I don’t need to hear that shit! And who the fuck left perfectly good ice cream out on the coffee table to melt into a pile of goo? That’s a damn sin!”

I tried to scramble out of the bed but only managed to get myself further tangled in the sheets. “Jesus Christ, why are these sheets always trying to kill me?”

Owen was too busy laughing to be of any assistance. I would’ve glared at him, but if this shit weren’t happening to me, I would also think it was funny, so I let him slide.

I finally managed to get myself untangled and only half fell out of the bed before I caught myself in a squat and pushed on the mattress to stand up. Flinging my hair out of the way with a huff, I went in search of my clothes from earlier, but then remembered they were work attire and there was no way I was stuffing myself back into them. So instead I snagged a pair of Owen’s basketball shorts and pulled them up my legs. I had to roll them a few times to get them to fit but whatever. They were more comfortable. Then I grabbed one of his t-shirts and pulled it over my head. I fluffed my hair and called it good enough.

“How about you come back to bed and I show you just how much I like you in my clothes?” Owen wielded his signature smirk with the dimple popped like a damn sword but I refused to give in. Gracie was home now and my vagina needed a break.

“No can do.” I darted out the bedroom door before he could convince me otherwise, and slammed right into Gracie’s giggling body.

“Making a run for it?”

Would it be appropriate to tell her that her brother had the stamina of a hot-blooded twenty-year-old?

I was going with no.

“You mentioned melted ice cream, so I figured it was best to clean up my mess.”

There, that was the perfect excuse.

“Right . . .” Gracie dragged the one word out and gave me a knowing smile. The fact that my face was as red as a Christmas bulb probably didn’t help my cause. It was easy to see I was fibbing.

“I’m just going to go clean my mess up.” I pointed in the direction of the living room and then took off down the hall in hopes Gracie didn’t follow.

No such luck. Owen’s sister was hot on my heels and eager to call me out.

“I can’t imagine what could’ve been so important that you left perfectly good ice cream to melt like that.”

I knew without even looking, Gracie’s dimples were on full display. She also used those damn things like a weapon. Whoever the poor sucker was who fell for her would be in a world of trouble. She would get everything she wanted just by smiling at him.

“You know damn well what your brother and I were doing. I would even be willing to bet you stayed out of the house for that exact reason.”

I turned around just in time to see Gracie shrug her shoulders. “Maybe.”

“Thank you.” I grabbed the pint of ice cream that was now just a tub of liquid and carried it to the kitchen sink. There was no resurrecting the chocolatey delight. “It was nice to have some time together after everything we learned today.”

“My brother texted me and gave me the abbreviated version of what’s going on. I’m sorry this is happening to you.”

I rinsed out the container but managed to smile at her over my shoulder. “It is what it is. My lawyer assured me they have no leg to stand on. At this point I’m more interested in answers than anything.”

A large part of me doubted even if I spoke to Dennis, I would get them. He would try to play the victim like he did all his life.

My mind went back to dinner, and I changed the subject. “I know Owen mentioned you were getting dinner elsewhere but I’m making pasta. Care for some?”

“I’ll never turn down pasta,” Gracie sang.

Owen appeared while I was filling the pot with water and immediately came up behind me to nuzzle my neck. Every time we were in a room together, we gravitated toward each other. He made sure to always touch me if we were in the same vicinity, and I loved having his hands on me.

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